Ciena’s latest launch delivers single-wavelength 800G

Ciena has revealed its latest range of WaveLogic technology products, which includes a single-wavelength 800G solution.

The new technology will be delivered in two solutions. WaveLogic 5 Extreme (WL5e) and WaveLogic 5 Nano (WL5n). In WL5e, Tunable bandwidth up to 800G provides what the company calls significant efficiency advantages over 600G solutions, allowing customers to take advantage of the pending introduction of 400G interfaces in the data centre. A range of form factors allows customers to choose the best option in meeting network architecture requirements for certain applications based on specific space, power and operational requirements.

WL5e provides programmable capacity in 50G increments over a single-wavelength 800G solution, which means, says Ciena, that it delivers 50 per cent more capacity per wavelength and up to 20 per cent higher spectral efficiency. It also enables an elegant evolution to emerging 400GbE-interface routers, with the ability to efficiently transport 400GbE client rates at any distance, from across the metro to across the ocean.

WaveLogic 5 has seen Ciena’s investment focus move towards key foundational technologies beyond digital signal processing (DSP) to include high-speed electro-optic components based on both silicon photonics and indium phosphide. This allows the company full control of the design of its coherent optical solutions.

The WaveLogic 5 range will become available in the second half of 2019. WL5e and WL5n technology will be offered across Ciena’s Converged Packet Optical and Packet Networking portfolios, and will be made available for use in third-party equipment via Ciena’s Optical Microsystems portfolio.

Said Scott McFeely, senior vice president of global products and services at Ciena: ‘An important part of Ciena’s success has always been our ability to anticipate market trends and strategically invest and out-innovate the competition to solve our customers business problems. WaveLogic 5 is another example of that leadership ability at work, underpinned by the financial strength, global scale and superior engineering expertise that affords us the confidence in continuing to deliver as promised on our forward roadmap commitments.’

Noted Andrew Schmitt, directing analyst at Cignal AI: ‘With the WaveLogic5 family, Ciena raises the bar once more for the optical networking market. WaveLogic5incorporatesaggressive vertical integration coupled with a more open business strategy and a bold technical vision surpassing the goals of any of the earlier WaveLogic generations.’

Neil J. McRae, chief architect at BT added: ‘With WaveLogic 5 Ciena continues to push the boundaries of coherent optics and create a solution that will help reduce cost per bit and speed up our ability to turn up services more efficiently. This is critical in today’s highly competitive environment driven by our customers’ relentless demand for greater connectivity and bandwidth-consuming services.’

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